With DeSantis Endorsing Trump, Will Previous Attacks and Insults Against Him Be Forgiven?

With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, the contest is now a two-person battle between former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

DeSantis not only suspended his campaign; he immediately threw his support behind Trump for the nomination. Looking back at the last year of campaigning and political mudslinging, I see a lot of bad blood between the Trump and DeSantis camps, and I wonder how that all plays into the future between the two, especially if Trump decides to pick DeSantis as his running mate.

For the past 12-plus months, DeSantis, along with his wife Casey, have been subjected to all kinds of political and personal attacks from not only Trump himself but several of his prominent supporters, as well as a large population of the so-called "Trump train." From personal insults to name-calling, Trump and his supporters did not hold back on attacking any person they viewed as a political enemy, even including their families in the attacks.

“Not surprised Ron DeSantis is looking for a set of balls,” said Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, to NBC News. LaCivita was asked for his reaction to DeSantis attending Basque Fry in Gardnerville where thousands of Republicans were expected to gather, according to the New York Post.

In February of 2023, Trump actually accused DeSantis of being a groomer of minor children in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. The picture even had the allegation plainly written on the caption, saying:

“Here is Ron DeSantimonious grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher.”

After all the attacks, all the insults, all the name-calling, it just got old and pathetically immature, even for me. Some of his loudest and most ardent supporters and surrogates went to great lengths in attempts to slander or defame DeSantis and or his family. Listen, I get it, politics is a dirty and miserable game, but why does it have to be?

One of Trump's most loyal and most prolific supporters or surrogates is Laura Loomer. She has publicly posted on X attack after attack on not just Ron DeSantis but his wife Casey as well. Loomer's attacks alleging that Casey DeSantis faked her bout with cancer and that she is a failure as a mother were some of the most toxic and disgusting things ever brought forward in a political contest.

Putting all the trash-talking and mudslinging behind us for a moment, where do Trump and his loyal and faithful army of supporters go from here? Do they all acknowledge the past statements and apologize, or at the very least, do they just acknowledge that they said those things? I ask this because the past statements matter when Trump acknowledges DeSantis's support, welcomes it, and makes use of it. When one calls someone else all kinds of names, denigrates their actual name, accuses them of being a pedophile and a groomer, etc etc, how and why then would you proudly accept that person's endorsement? Do you just say, "I was just kidding about all that," and pretend like it never happened? Because I am sure DeSantis and his family haven't forgotten, and I am sure they probably won't.

Trump actually just might pick Ron DeSantis to be his running mate, and why wouldn't he? DeSantis has the best track record for any Republican governor in the country right now. He has implemented policy and or signed legislation that protected children from radical leftist ideology in schools, signed "Constitutional Carry" into law, gone after woke companies, and more. His track record as Governor of Florida is extremely good.

Personally, I have pretty thick skin; I really could give a damn what people say about me for the most part. I take umbrage at people saying false things about me, as anyone else would, but I don't lose any sleep over it. However, I do take exception when you say things about my family and friends. So if my political opponent slung mud like that at me, and I had to concede defeat to them, I may acknowledge they have won or that they would be a better option than someone else, but that's as far as it goes. Will the likes of Loomer and other die-hard Trump loyalists be able to swallow their pride and apologize for it? Probably not, I would guess, because that would mean for them to admit they were wrong, and they just can't stomach that.